In what was possibly his last dance at the hallowed clay court of Philippe Chatrier, 14-time French Open champion, Rafael Nadal bowed out of the first round after suffering a 3-6, 6-7, 3-6 defeat against fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev. The German brought his A-game from the beginning and broke Nadal on his maiden serve of the tournament to set the tone of the match and avenge the loss of the 2022 semifinal where he had to quit after suffering ankle ligament damage. 

Zverev became only the third person after Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic to beat Nadal at the French Open. In total, it was just the fourth defeat in 116 matches for the Spaniard in Paris but the earliest one. Prior to Monday (May 27), Nadal had never failed to reach at least the fourth round in Paris. 

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“I needed something else. I was competitive but Sascha (Zverev) has been brilliant. There is a big percentage that I will not be back but I cannot be 100 per cent sure. I’m travelling well. The body is feeling better. Maybe in two months, I say it is enough. But it is something that I don’t feel yet. I hope to be back on this court for the Olympics,” said Nadal in the post-match interview. 

Having fallen behind after the disappointing first game, Nadal did show signs of a comeback as he saved two set points at 3-5 but eventually gave up the opener on the third when he buried a loose forehand into the net. 

Nadal’s improved gameplay

During the second set, Nadal did break Zverev to lead 3-2 with the entire stadium reverberating with ‘Rafa, Rafa’ chants. However, the Spaniard could not capitalise and was broken to love in the 10th game as he served for the set. 

The likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek were in the crowd to witness Nadal conjure up his magic on the clay court but the 22-time major winner looked comfortably below his best. 

In the tie-break, Nadal saved one set point but Zverev claimed the set when the Spaniard netted a service return.

The final set started with a lot more potential as Nadal got a break and managed to hold it before undoing the hard work in the third game. 

In a marathon 13-minute fifth game, Nadal had to save four break points to edge ahead 3-2. However, Zverev shifted gears at this stage and his barrage of forehand hammers down the line proved to be too hot for the clay-court emperor. 

“I don’t know what to say. Thank you Rafa from all of the tennis world. It is such a great honour,” said Zverev after the match.

“I’ve watched Rafa play all my childhood and I was lucky enough to play him two times on this beautiful court. Today is not my moment, it is Rafa’s moment.”

Despite losing in straight sets, Nadal showed ample signs of playing at the top level. He may have been a bit ginger in his movement but Sascha had to dig deep and rely on winning some of the big moments to earn the win.

The fans would be hopeful that Nadal comes back for one last hurrah, especially in Paris before he draws curtains on his magnificent career. 

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